We all have the BEST of intentions when starting out a work out plan or healthy way of living. We’re excited and motivated and can visualize the outcome. But what happens when that all goes away? What happens on those days when you’re just not feeling it or something else comes up?

Here’s the way I see it and I am sorry if it sounds harsh – you MAKE TIME for the stuff that is important to you and if you don’t make time for your health and fitness you’ll never get the opportunity to experience how GOOD your body was designed to feel. And, worst case, your life will be cut short.

There are PLENTY of days that I am tired, stressed and have so much going on that I think about skipping my workout, blowing off my morning ritual or desperately wish there were more hours in the day. But every single time I get my workout done and make time for healthy eating, I NEVER regret it. Period.

I get asked this all the time. So, in this posting, I want to share with you some tactics I use and practice on a regular basis to help me stick to my health and fitness routine. Remember: when your tank is empty, how can you give the best of your gifts to others? You must take time for YOU and fill up your tank! 🙂

7 tools to help your health & fitness routine stick

1. Schedule workouts in your calendar: My calendar is open and public to people that I work with. Every single week my workouts are in there including the time it takes to get ready and get to work afterwards. Yes it’s possible to move these meetings around, but they never get skipped without getting rescheduled for sometime that same day. For me, it’s not an option to miss these appointments because they are my “ME time.” And if I don’t make time to give back to myself, no one is going to do it for me. I give back to me so that I can give MORE OF ME to others.
2. Don’t be afraid to tell people that your workout is important: You don’t have to miss out on all social gatherings or events just because you need to work out…but you need to work out. I was recently interviewed by my friend Zlata Suschik for her Sexy Fit Podcast (check out the episode here!) and she talked about a situation where her friends wanted her to come out early instead of doing her workout. She politely declined and said she would do a super quick HIIT workout and meet them there afterwards – they were cool with it and she was happy. Boom, success! It really wasn’t that hard.
3. Put positive mantras everywhere: I love my muscles. I am powerful, strong and can do anything. I am worthy of the best physical and mental health possible. These are just some of the things I have written around my house, in my cell phone, in my notebook, etc. When you feel empowered and uplifted, you will make time to do more of what is good for you.
4. Keep your training clothes and shoes with you always: I keep training gear at work, at my boyfriends house, at my apartment and in every single bag I pack to go anywhere. Never will you hear me say “I would work out, but I forgot my clothes.” And if that happens to be the case (which is basically never), I just whip out my Runtastic Results app and do a bodyweight training workout in my pajamas wherever I may be. Stop drop and RESULTS! 🙂
5. Surround yourself with the positivity you want in your life: Hang around with people who respect your commitment to health and fitness. I cannot stand those people who are like “Let me guess, you can’t come because you have to work out?” I do not, and you do not, need that negative energy in your life. Get rid of it ASAP! 🙂 If you’re struggling to find people in your life who support you – consider joining a workout group or a supportive group on Facebook. You always meet very different people who bring out different sides of you. I love working out with and meeting new people.
6. Keep on setting goals no matter how far you come on your journey: Even after 10 years of really focusing on my health and fitness, I still set goals all the time. Right now I am training for my first sprint triathlon and trying to get some gains in my arms. As soon as I lose focus, I set another goal. DON’T FORGET: write these goals down and put them places you can see just like your positive mantras.
7. Don’t be afraid to BYOF (bring your own food): Sometimes there are a lot of events and a lot going on. I don’t like the way I feel when I eat out a lot or am not in control of what I am putting into my body. So, sometimes when I go to my boyfriends’ grandparents house for lunch on Sundays or to a friends house for afternoon snacks….I just bring my own. I am not afraid to say that I am happier when I know exactly what is going into my body. And, as it turns out, no one really cares either 🙂

Do you have any tips you would like to share? Let me know by sending me a tweet!